Pair too drunk to notice baby's death

April 14, 2009 11:02:11 AM PDT

BROWNSVILLE, PA --

A Pennsylvania couple will stand trial on child endangerment charges because state police say they were too drunk and high to notice their 2-month-old daughter was dying from sudden infant death syndrome. [SIGN UP: Get headlines and breaking news sent to you]

Thirty-year-olds Jennifer Gaster and Daniel Martin II are accused of snorting cocaine and drinking alcohol the night before they found the baby's dead. Gaster had breast-fed the child in a recliner in the couple's home in Luzerne Township, about 30 miles south of Pittsburgh, and awoke June 6 with the baby unresponsive.

A defense attorney says tests will show the child didn't have drugs or alcohol in her system, meaning Gaster wasn't intoxicated.

Witnesses at a preliminary hearing Monday say the couple drank heavily and used cocaine.